Wednesday, 23 February 2011

Marshall Plan?

There are calls within the western powers to provide vast sums of money to help the Arab countries that are in the throws of demanding democratic elections after years of dictatorship. These people who want to provide financial aid on a scale to the Marshall Plan after the second world war. Have I believe got it wrong. The Americans provided aid between 1949 t0 1952 to the tune of £700 billion in today's real terms. This money was to help Europe get back on its feet, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and the other  countries that were devastated by the war were given this aid to rebuild their infrastructures, and industries. The aid was offered to the Easter Block countries but rejected by Stalin. This is a completely different scenario with what is happening in the middle east. There infrastructures have not been devastated to anywhere near as what happened in Europe. The Middle Eastern countries are not manufacturing based, they have oil. Do our leaders who propose such financial handouts at a time after many western families are now struggling to make ends meet expect to see more of their moneys given to oil rich countries. Who could increase the cost of a barrel of oil that will push up costs in the rest of the world. Do we provide monies so that these countries can start an industrial programme that they are not at present involved in. If this were to happen would this not mean that European manufacturing jobs would be allowed to go to the Middle East? Its OK for these people in power here to suggest such programmes but it will not be their jobs that are lost. The Americans are talking about providing $4 billion in aid to Egypt in a subsidy programme to keep the price of food and especially bread during Egypt's transition  to ddemocracy. All well and good, but what about the poverty and hardships that millions of American citizens are feeling. How much aid is been given by the oil rich countries that now spend billions on building palaces, and hotels for the mega rich Europeans whist their own people in many cases are on the bread line by western standards. We all want to see democracy and freedom for these countries but not I'm quite sure to the detriment of western jobs or falling living standards.  

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